Tempting Tortilla Triangles
Back in the days that I lived in Johannesburg, running out of essentials like sugar or eggs meant an emergency dash to the supermarket, as asking a neighbor for help was just not done. It's entirely different here, where my neighbors regularly pop across for random, missing ingredients, knowing full well that I'm virtually guaranteed to have it in. Having an extra well-stocked pantry also means that, when inspiration strikes, I can head into the kitchen and whip up almost anything. When I stumbled across an online video tutorial for filled tortilla triangles recently, I was able to go straight from my computer to my frying pan, and I'm so glad I did. These crisp 'n crunchy tortilla treats are made in mere minutes, but are hugely impressive, and quite amazingly delicious. In recent days I've filled mine with curried ground beef to produce the ultimate, Indian-style samosas. I've mixed up spinach, feta and grated yellow cheese to make Greek spanakopita. I've used leftover shawarma-style chicken to make a savory Middle Eastern pastry. And grated mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto produces perfect pizza-inspired triangles. Pick up a pack of tortillas today - even if you have no intention of ever making Mexican meals - and enjoy a new world of inspiration.

BASIC INGREDIENTS Tortilla wraps 1/4 cup flour Canola oil FILLING IDEAS - Fry onion till softened, add ground beef and curry paste/curry powder and seasoning, cook till browned and flavorful, and then use cooled filling to make Indian samosa-style pastries. - Marinate diced chicken in a mix of lemon juice, olive oil and shawarma spice and stir-fry and then use cooled mixture to make Middle Eastern-inspired pastries. - Combine drained, frozen spinach, crumbled feta, an egg, seasoning and grated yellow cheese and fill triangles to make Greek spanakopita. - Combine grated mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and basil leaves or pesto and fill to make pizza pockets. - Any filling will do - including sweet fillings like chunks of Mars Bar or marshmallows and chocolate to make fried s'mores - so you're limited only by your imagination.